2022
7 Spiritually Saving Reminders from General Conference
November 2022

7 Spiritually Saving Reminders from General Conference

By Noelle Lambert Barrus

Church Magazines

The truths we hear at general conference can help us find safety and peace in a fallen world.

Image
figure standing on a rock formation

Photograph from Pexels

On a recent hiking trip, my brother and his wife had one of those “we-could-have-been-killed” moments.

During the hike, a loud “CRACK!” sounded from above, and a large rock crashed toward them.

My brother and sister-in-law were momentarily stunned. Although they had learned about the safety warnings for falling rocks, they couldn’t remember what to do.

Miraculously, a guide was nearby. She yelled to them, reminding them to run out of the danger zone they were standing in. They ran to the guide and ducked, covering their heads and protecting their one-year-old baby.

Within seconds, the broken rocks crashed directly onto the spot they had been standing.

The reminder from the guide saved their lives.

Spiritual Savers

I often approach general conference secretly hoping for profound answers to my personal questions. But sometimes I end up leaving conference with a feeling of, “Well, I already knew all of that.”

I know I need to read the Book of Mormon. I know I need to go to the temple and be a missionary. I know I need to love, forgive, serve, and keep my covenants.

But what I realized this year is that these aren’t just reminders to be ignored or brushed aside with the thought, “I already knew that.”

Reminders can be lifesaving—like what happened to my brother and his wife.

But the reminders from the prophets are different.

The doctrinal teachings we hear from our prophets during general conference are spiritually saving reminders. The reason I am hearing similar invitations time and time again is because I have so much room to grow! And as I act on these reminders, I can be better equipped during the trials in my life.

Seven Conference Reminders

And here are just seven spiritually saving reminders that stood out to me the most at conference.

  1. 1.“The Lord is not saying, ‘Do whatever you want.’ …“He is saying, ‘Keep my commandments,’” taught Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.1

  2. “We are commanded to love others, not to judge them,” from Sister J. Anette Dennis, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.2

  3. “We can be of good cheer and be filled with peace in our tough times,” said Elder Isaac K. Morrison of the Seventy.3

  4. “To all who are brokenhearted, captive, bruised, and perhaps blinded by hurt or sin, He offers healing, recovery, and deliverance,” explained Sister Kristen M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.4

  5. “God is your Heavenly Father; you are His child. He loves you,” Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminded us.5

  6. Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also added, “The Book of Mormon was prepared in ancient America to come forth to declare God’s word, to bring souls to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel ‘this day.’”6

  7. And the promise from President Russell M. Nelson, who said, “Increased time in the temple will bless your life in ways nothing else can.”7

The prophets, apostles, and leaders of this Church give us reminders from God to help us be safe and happy and find peace.

As Helaman 5:12 says, “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

Just as Helaman invited his sons to remember the rock upon which they were built, our prophets and leaders give us countless spiritually saving reminders every general conference.

What reminders did you hear at general conference that helped your spirit? Take time to reflect on your own spiritually saving reminders.

I may not receive the exact answers I’m expecting during conference. But conference reminds me of the tools I can use to receive personal revelation and find answers to my questions.

I might know that I need to read the Book of Mormon, go to the temple, and invite Jesus Christ more into my life. But conference was a great reminder that I should start acting on these things now, today, so that I can be spiritually safe.